Ancient Forest Society 2025

The Douglas Squirrel, Friend of the Giants

by Taylor Sheriff

Douglas squirrels, also known as chickarees, play an important role in the life cycle of giant sequoias. They depend upon these trees as a critical food source and in return help to disperse the trees’ genetic material. Giant sequoias produce cones that only open and disperse seeds once they are dead. Cone death can be caused by high temperatures, heat from fire, and insect and animal predation. Douglas squirrels help with dispersal by cutting cones from the tree to retrieve later for storage.

These feisty squirrels, about a mere 13 inches long, spend most of their lives in the canopy of trees and they remain active through winter. Their habitat ranges from the Southern Sierra Nevada mountains northward through the Cascade mountains into Canada and Alaska. Although Douglas squirrels are found outside of sequoia groves in other coniferous forests, sequoia cones are their primary food source when they live in a dense stand of sequoia trees. A single Douglas squirrel can cut, eat and store approximately 3,000-3,500 cones each year. Take care as you walk among the giant sequoias or you may get a cone dropped on your head!

Using sharp, curved claws, Douglas squirrels can easily run up and down the large trunks of sequoia trees. In the canopy, they target the fleshy, photosynthetically-active green cones. They show a preference for cones between their 2nd and 5th year of growth. The Douglas squirrel’s primary target for consumption is the nutritious, fleshy part of the cone. The seeds within the cones are eaten only incidentally and are usually discarded instead. This works to the trees’ advantage because while the cone is eaten, the seeds become dislodged and fall to the ground. When competition among Douglas squirrels is high, the cones will be stored and eaten at caches near the ground.  But when competition is low, the cones will be consumed primarily in the crown of the sequoia tree. When eaten in the crown, seeds from the cones can be dispersed over a much larger area. This increases the likelihood of sequoia regeneration in more diverse locations.

You might think that seeing a Douglas squirrel is a common occurrence for our team that spends considerable time working in the crown of giant sequoias, but we rarely see them aloft. The next time you visit a giant sequoia grove, keep an eye out for the amazing Douglas squirrel.

Earth Day

Tomorrow is Earth Day, a time to celebrate the extraordinary life on planet Earth and to acknowledge the important work currently underway to conserve it for generations to come! The 2025 theme is Our Power, Our Planet.

Ancient Forest Society (AFS) is dedicated to the protection, restoration, and understanding of ancient and future old-growth forests. Through scientific research, preservation initiatives, and immersive educational experiences, we promote the ecological, cultural, and climate benefits of forests worldwide. Every day is Earth Day at AFS!

We’ll be attending the South Lake Tahoe Earth Day Festival on Saturday, April 19, 2025 from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm to share information about our important work. Come stop by and say hi! One lucky attendee will receive a free AFS t-shirt!

Become a Member of Ancient Forest Society!

Ancient Forest Society is dedicated to research, outreach, and conservation of ancient trees and forests. As we prepare for another busy field season of inspecting trees for bark beetle activity, collecting seeds, conducting research, and installing and maintaining physiological equipment in our study trees, we need your support.

Becoming a member of Ancient Forest Society is an opportunity to help us continue this important work by funding aspects of our programming that are not yet funded including our outreach and education efforts and volunteer support. As a Society member, you will support our invaluable volunteers, enable us to share the critical work we are doing with a wider audience and you will get discounts on our events and merchandise. .

Ancient Forest Society is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and your tax-deductible donation will directly support our mission to study and protect ancient forests.